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SYDNEY, Australia — A Samoan airline that says it is the world’s first carrier to charge
passengers by their weight rather than per seat defends the plan as the fairest way to fly, in some
cases actually ending up cheaper than conventional tickets.

Samoa Air, which opened in 2012, asks passengers to declare their personal weight during
booking, which is then charged per kilogram at a rate dependent on flight length. The weight
includes any baggage.

Customers face a weigh-in at the check-in counter.

A kilogram is approximately 2.2 pounds.

“The industry has this concept that all people throughout the world are the same size,” Samoa
Air CEO Chris Langton said. “Airplanes always run on weight, irrespective of seats.”

“There is no doubt in my mind that this is the concept of the future. This is the fairest way of
you travelling with your family, or yourself.”

Though the airline instituted the plan last November, it caught attention last week when the
carrier began international flights to neighboring American Samoa and coincided with the
publication of a report by a Norwegian economist suggesting that airlines should charge obese
passengers more.

The Pacific Islands contain some of the world’s most prevalent countries for obesity, many
ranking in the top 10, according to the World Health Organization. Samoa is ranked number four,
with 59.6 percent of the population considered obese, said the most recent 2008 WHO report.

According to Samoa Air’s latest schedule, the airline charges up to the equivalent of 26 cents
per pound for domestic flights and 47 cents per pound for its only international flight to American
Samoa. A 300-pound person flying one-way internationally would be charged approximately $140.

Children under 12 are charged 75 percent of the adult rate, with fares also based on weight. Any
overweight baggage is calculated at the same rate as the passenger’s personal weight.

The plan could actually prove cheaper in some cases, such as for families travelling with small
children, and Langton said customer feedback has mainly been “amazingly positive.”